Centurylink and the Union

Background of CenturyLink In the 1870s the telephone was invented by two men; Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray, both won the right to patented the design of the telephone, however, Alexander Graham Bell arrived at the patented office first thus his telephone was the first to be pattend. The invention of the telephone transformed the way that the world communicated from 1870 to current but one very small company, the Oak Ridge Telephone Company had been purchased by William Clarke and Marie Williams for $500. The Oak Ridge Telephone Company became a wedding present to Clarke Williams and his wife, and after 22 years (1946 - 1968) the little telephone company became incorporated and changed their name to Central Telephone and Electronics. After 45 years (1968 – 2013) the company grew, the name changed a couple of times, there were buying and selling of wireless contracts and “On April 1st, of 2011 CenturyLink completed its acquisition of Qwest Communications in a tax free, stock-for-stock transaction, creating the third largest telecommunications provider – based on access lines – in the United States” (CenturyLink, 2013), this also meant that CenturyLink in Idaho is currently unionized. Legal Issues and Obstacles for CenturyLink

Some of the legal issues and obstacles that face CenturyLink are because a union stems from the right of the employees to choose whether or not to join the union, to organize under the union, and bargain together with a union representative and managers of the current organization. According the reading material for week two there are seven union unfair labor practices for unions under the TAFT-Hartley Act of 1947, they are; (1) Forcing of an employee to join in the union activities; (2) Attempting to get one employee to discriminate against another employee, (3) To avoid bargaining appropriately on behalf of the employee, (4) Overcharging...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...Background of the Study
A union shop steward was on her regularly scheduled day off at home. She was called by her supervisor and told to talk to three union members and instruct them to attend a meeting called a "Quest for Quality Interaction Committee". The union had objected to the implementation of the Quest for Quality program. Since the employees were not paid extra for serving on these teams, the union told employees they could attend the meeting if their jobs were threatened, but they should do so under protest and then file a grievance afterward.
On the day in question, in a three-way conversation with the three employees, the union shop steward told them that she would not order them to attend the Quest for Quality meeting, although she had been asked by her supervisor to instruct them to go to the meeting. Since the supervisor who called the union shop steward wanted to avoid a confrontation with the employees, she did not order the employees to attend the meeting but relied on the union shop steward to issue the order. When union shop steward failed to order the employees to attend the meeting, she was suspended for two weeks. The union shop steward immediately filed a union grievance against the food service director asserting that the two-week suspension was inappropriate and unjust.
Statement of the Problem...

...employees. In 2-4 pages explain each one's strengths and weaknesses. What impact do unions have on the workplace and do you think union membership is going to increase or decrease over the next few years?
Unionized organizations:-
Union is a group of workers who have come together to make collective decisions about their work and their working conditions. Unions work based on the idea that group is stronger than an individual. As a result of early union bargaining there are a variety of benefits that workers can enjoy today.
Strengths of unionized Organizations
* Stability: A union can provide a stable workplace. Employees who are members of a union typically enjoy greater job security than nonunion workers, and they often receive more beneficial compensation and marginal benefits packages. As a result, union workers might be more reluctant to leave the company to pursue other opportunities, especially to go to a nonunion environment. Greater stability means fewer turnovers for employers and a reduction in the costs associated with hiring and training new workers.
* Productivity: A union environment offers greater productivity. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a 1997 study indicated that productivity in unionized workplaces was 10 percent higher than in comparable nonunion environments. The AFL-CIO website indicates that...

...B
Unions are designed to protects the rights of the workers. People have been coming together since the 1800s to improve employees working conditions and rights. The first labor unions was put together in 1820s due to grueling working conditions. It was expected by the people to work 12 hour days. People banded together to reduce the hours from 12 to a more manageable 10. It is evident the unions were put together for the people to benefit and will continue to strive for their rights. Workers who are part of a union are more informed and they are more likely to benefit from social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation.
Unions act as the voice and protector of the workers. In additions to the benefits of Employees higher wages, better benefits, and workplace protection, Unions also help workers by providing collective bargaining, arbitrating disputes and developing fair and equitable working conditions on behalf of the employee. The collective bargaining service provided by unions is a representation by the union or the workers’ interest during negotiations with the employers. Before unions, employers could force workers to work long hours without breaks or work overtime without pay. Over the years, through collective bargaining, Unions have ensured that workers got paid for overtime,...

...What is the Effect of Unions on the General Employment of a Skilled Trade Laborer?
An Annotated Bibliography
Critical Preface
Today, the economy is split into two income levels wiping out middle class and crippling the economy. Now one of the countries main staples in labor law enforcement is one of the direct causes of the disappearing middle class. Though I was aware of the union’s stronghold on the skilled labor forces, I was still unaware of how largely they affected the skilled labor force financially. For this proposal, I decided to discover why labor unions were so important to the culture of the 1950’s and how to distance ourselves from their overpriced work force of today. I pose questions that ask if the unions are essential to the economy and how we can fund more projects open to the skilled labor workforce to produce competitiveness. These questions will be examined thoroughly because the public must obtain a solution for the skilled labor force which is a big portion of the unemployed work force.
I compiled my research during the week of March 20, 2008. The resources chosen for the bibliography are all articles that cover the trade unions and their impact on the economy. These sources provided answers to the questions used during my research. For example; how the economy is affected by the unions? By using a wide variety of opposing view points I can also illustrate the how the...

...Though unions have received mixed reviews in the past and are continually rejected by some companies, many people still do not understand the reasons behind the need to unionize. Many employees approached by the subject of unionizing often find themselves asking, what is a union? The act of unionizing is defined as forming a group within an organization or individual employees to create and insure fair wages, fair hours, and decent working conditions (The Labor Relations Process). Unions can be implemented into almost every part of the workforce. If there is a way to make money, then there is a way to abuse those who make money for you. Unions seek to level the playing field, to make the individual a part of a large group that can make changes for the present, that will affect the future, to ensure a better work environment for all parties.
Unionizing is often associated with factory work, but the entertainment industry is a market that is in desperate need for a unionized system. The need to establish fair wages, working conditions, and decent hours is something the entertainment industry has lacked in the past. Over the years unions have negotiated between union members and the industry to create fairer working conditions, and better pay. But the change has been slow and gradual. The entertainment industry encompasses a major part of the economic growth of the United States and...

...Short Paper Assignment
The roots of our country's trade unions extend deep into the early history of America. Primitive unions, or guilds, of carpenters, cabinet makers and cobblers made their appearance, often temporary, in various cities along the Atlantic seaboard of colonial America. Workers played a significant role in the struggle for independence; carpenters disguised as Mohawk Indians were the "host" group at the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The Continental Congress met in Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia, and there the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. In "pursuit of happiness" through shorter hours and higher pay, printers were the first to go on strike, in New York in 1794; cabinet makers struck in 1796; carpenters in Philadelphia in 1797. In the early years of the 19th century, recorded efforts by unions to improve the workers' conditions, through either negotiation or strike action, became more frequent. By the 1820s, various unions involved in the effort to reduce the working day from 12 to 10 hours began to show interest in the idea of federation-of joining together in pursuit of common objectives for working people.
As ineffective as these first efforts to organize may have been, they reflected the need of working people for economic and legal protection from exploiting employers. The invention of the steam engine and the growing use of water power to operate machinery were developing a...

...﻿ My father always said, “Belonging to a union is a necessary evil.” As far as I am concerned he is absolutely right. The union protects the worker. It provides stability and ensures equal rights. It gives a voice to the people and steps to achieve a mutual agreement.
Every employee should have the opportunity to grieve unfairness. When you don’t have a union, this does not always happen. Employees have no course of action when they are displaced or laid off due to the employer having preferences for another workers personality. The skill or experience a person has acquired has no impact on job positions when there isn’t a union to represent them. When one is treated unfairly the union will back their member and ensure that every employee has equal opportunities.
Stability is better acquired by a union. Wages can be negotiated and everyone is treated equally through an agreement that may include: working conditions pay increases, pay grids, cost of living increases, contract conditions and or benefits. When one does not have a union it is difficult to come to a mutual agreement and you are back to the 1800’s where working conditions, pay and benefits are entirely up to the employers. Companies can make large profits forcing their workers to work on an income that is not sufficient. Although we now have laws about minimum wage, it doesn’t include many of...

...﻿Pro and Cons
Unions
Introduction
The effect of teacher unions on school reform is a controversial in the world of education. A teachers union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals. America consists of two main teachers unions; the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. “The National Education Association, the nation's largest professional employees organization, it has more than three million members that work at every level of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs” ("NEA - NEA Home"). “The American Federation of Teachers has more than one million members nationwide and has grown into a trade union representing workers in education, health care, and public service” ("AFT - American Federation of Teachers - A Union of Professionals").
Pros
There are many reasons teacher unions are good for teachers as well as the public. They protect teachers' rights, support teacher professionalism and check administrative power. “Teachers unions are able to build productive relationships and exert a positive influence on the improvement of teaching and learning” (Noll, 2013, p.239).
“We live in an era when leaders in business and the media demand that schools function like businesses in a free market economy, competing for students and staff. Many such...